Rise of Spade
by Savage-Dragon
Summary: Riddle me this: What happens when the Riddler gets into an asylum workers head? Raven McKane finds out by experience and finds herself getting a promotion she never would have expected. Permanent Hiatus. Please read my profile.
1. Raven's Promotion

Welcome to chapter one of Spade. This is my first Batman story and nothing belongs to me except the doctors and Raven. Hope you like it!

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It was a gloomy, cold morning in Gotham City. A light snow drifted from above and collected on the ground. A girl in her twenties strode down the sidewalk, braving the cold to get to work. Her name was Raven McKane and, unfortunately for her, she had a job at Arkham Asylum as a filer and deliverer, meaning that she would take files with occupant information, file them under the correct name and then take other papers and deliver them to the councilers and doctors, sometimes while they were in a session. This made her feel uneasy at first but, she got used to the unblinking glares of the one in counciling.

The asylum loomed in front of her as Raven made her way up the steps to the front door. She opened the door and stepped inside, nodding to a few of the other workers in greeting.She went to her office and hung her black trenchcoat on the back of her chair and then went next door to freshen up her coffee. Every now and then, when she had some time to herself, Raven would wander through the asylum's halls and see what some of its occupants were up to. Most of the time they were screaming in their cells or plotting a way to break out. On this particular morning, while Raven was delivering something to another filer, Raven came across the asylum's newest occupant, he was actually just returned to the asylum after busting out. They were bringing him inside and dragging him by the collar of his lime green jacket to a new cell. He kept trying to get away but the grip the two security guards had on him was not effected by the writhing of his wiry frame. Raven approached the secretary that had helped her get used to things,"Who is that guy?" she asked.

The secretary, Ellen Owens, looked up from the form she was filling out,"Apparently, they finally re-captured the Riddler."

Raven looked back down the hall to see the two security guards dragging the Riddler up a flight of stairs,"Thats the Riddler? I thought that jacket looked familiar. I've heard about him on the news, he interests me." Raven was considered the new kid in the asylum. She had just moved to Gotham about three months ago and wasnt quite up to date on all of Gotham's rogues and villains. "Yeah thats him all right, he broke out about the time you moved here actually. Took 'em long enough to get him back here." Ellen followed Raven's gaze,"You know, you could probably find some way for to talk to him." Raven looked back at Ellen with a curious look in her eyes,"How?"

Ellen continued to fill out the form,"Well, you could try and pursuade the doctors to let you 'council' the Riddler a little." Raven rolled her eyes,"Please, they'll never go along with that im not 'certified'." Ellen thought for a minute,"But, I've seen you talking to some of the other inmates, they seem to like you. Even the Joker carried a normal conversation with you. If you can do that, imagine what you could do with the Riddler."

"You do have a point. You dont normally talk to the Joker without being insulted somehow but, I seem to have some sort of bizzare charm on some of our inmates."

"See? You should pitch it to them." Ellen urged.

Raven rubbed the back of her head,"I dunno. It would be quite interesting though."

"So go for it. At least ask."

Raven hesitated but nodded in agreement,"Alright then. I'll give it a whirl, I just hope _I_ dont go insane in the process." Raven grinned and headed upstairs to the counseling unit. All the doctors were busy with papers and heading to counciling appointments. Raven walked over to the information desk and asked where the Riddler was being taken. She wrote down cell number, thanked the lady at the desk and sat down on a couch to sip on her coffee a little more before going to visit one of the councilers.

"Hey Raven!" A voice called from across the room.

"Hey, Dr.Monroe. How are you?" Raven greeted her friend. Doctor James Monroe had been friends with Raven since she came to the asylum.

"Im good actually. Did you hear? We finally got the Riddler back."

"Yeah, me and Ellen were talking about that downstairs," Raven grinned,"She said I outta council him sometime."

Dr.Monroe laughed,"Sorry, you know, its actually not a bad idea."

Raven choked on her coffee and looked at Dr.Monroe, a bit startled by his response,"You really think so? Why?"

"Well,"he began,"Ellen told us about your power to tame the inmates. She told us the story how about you actually managed to get a good, normal talk with the Joker."

Raven looked at the floor,"Yeah, she mentioned that same exact story downstairs. Said if I could do that then I could probably do a whole lot more with the Riddler."

James nodded,"And Ellens right. I believe our occupants like to have a chat with someone other than the doctors every now and then. I think it makes them feel like they fit in more, they're more comfortable. And, actually, according to the notes that some of the councilers have taken, some of the inmates consider you a friend. They have talked about you during their sessions and have said some very nice things about you."

Raven's eyes gave off a glint of interest,"Really now? A friend? Who were some of the inmates that said this?"

"Hm, lets see if I can remember. Two-Face seemed to think you could carry a nice conversation. Harley Quinn liked your talk about card games. Poison Ivy admired your knowledge of botany and, even the Joker himself enjoyed a conversation about your experiments with pyrotechnics and explosives." Dr.Monroe recalled.

Raven grinned, remembering that conversation with the Joker,"Yeah, that one was fairly interesting. I think I might have given the Joker too many new ideas though. It kind of surprises me that Poison Ivy would admire my botany knowledge. Most of what I learned came from high school agriculture classes." She gave a small laugh and took another swig of her coffee.

"So, what do you think? Do you think you could handle it?" Dr.Monroe questioned.

"What? Counciling the Riddler? Well, during my high school years I was known as 'The self-proclaimed Dr.Raven' due to the fact that I would help people who were either on the verge of going insane, going into depression, or were having dating problems. The name eventually kinda stuck to me. This is much bigger though. I would be dealing with a clinically insane human-being. Well, why not? I suppose I could give it a whirl but, I think I would like to observe one of the Riddler's counciling sessions first if, of course, that isn't too much trouble." Raven continued to sip down her coffee, waiting for a repsonse from James.

His eyes searched the ceiling for an answer,"I think we can arrange something." he finally replied. Soon, Monroe and Raven were heading down to Dr.Victoria Ridges office, one of the best councilors in the asylum, to ask her opinion on the idea.

Dr.Monroe knocked on Dr.Ridges door,"Come in."

"Good morning, Dr.Ridges." James said as he entered the rather small office.

"Good morning, James. What can I help you with?" Dr.Ridges folded her hands on her desk.

"Raven and I would like to ask your opinion on something." he replied.

"Yes,"Raven stepped into the room,"Ellen came up with the crazy idea that I should council the Riddler."

"And then I agreed and said it was a good idea. I thought, maybe we could let Raven observe one of his counciling sessions and then, well, we could go from there." Monroe explained, running his fingers through his jet black hair.

Victoria thought for a minute and then smiled a little,"I suppose this couldn't hurt too much. Who knows? Maybe talking to someone other than a councilor could be good for the Riddler."

"Thats exactly what I said, Dr.Ridges."Monroe stated,"You know my whole belief thing, about how some of these guys would feel more comfortable talking to someone who doesnt take notes on everything they say, someone they can just talk to."

"Yes, you have mentioned that to me,"Dr.Ridges gaze turned to Raven,"Alrighty then,Raven. We shall set you up on a date with the Riddler and see what happens. If you feel comfortable in his prescence then, who knows. You could become his councilor. I believe they have him in a session tommorow. How does that sound?"

Raven grinned widely,"That sounds good to me."

Victoria wrote a quick note on the calendar sitting on her desk,"Okay then, your all set for 10:00 tommorow morning. Good luck."

Raven wrote that down next to the Riddler's cell number. She followed Dr.Monroe out the door, giving Dr.Ridges a quick "Thank you" on the way out. Tommorow, Raven's job was going to get a bit more interesting.

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Well, there it is. Chapter 2 may take a little longer to come up with(if there is one), my brain is dead after writing this one. Please R&R.


	2. Morning chit chat

Well, heres chapter two for anybody who is interested to see what happens next. Enjoy!

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The next day, Raven went into work with butterflies in her stomach. It was 8:32. She had about an hour and a half til her 'date'. It was a bit quiet in the asylum today, probably because some people couldn't get through the four inches of snow that morning. Raven always walked to work, it wasn't that far. Raven hung up her trenchcoat and grabbed some more coffee, a little more than usual this morning. She went back to her office and sat down at her desk. She pulled a deck of cards out of one of the drawers and started shuffling it. That was a habit of hers since her school years. Whenever she was bored or nervous she would shuffle a deck of cards and, every now and then, she would play a game of Solitaire or try to build a house of cards. Raven flipped the deck over so that the numbers on the cards were visible. She filed through them until she found her favorite card, the ace of spades. She examined it and flipped it through her fingers,a bit absent-mindedly. She was snapped backed to reality when someone knocked on her door. "It's open."Raven called out. Ellen opened the door and stepped inside. "Good morning, Ellen,"Raven said with a smile,"Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about this morning."

"Good morning to you too,"Ellen pulled one of the wooden chairs up to Raven's desk,"Oh, I know we have tons to talk about.Dr.Monroe told me you would get to observe one of the Riddler's sessions this morning. Im surprised that idea actually went through."

Raven took a sip of her coffee,"Ditto to that. I nearly choked on this stuff yesterday when Dr.Monroe told me it was a good idea."She held up her coffee cup, indicating to Ellen that that was she nearly choked on. They both smiled,"So, how do you think it'll go?" Ellen questioned.

Raven leaned back in her chair and examined the ceiling for a second,"Oh,well, I can't be for sure. I've heard that the Riddler's mind is pretty complex. I guess thats the fun of it, you gotta experience it to know how it will go."

Ellen nodded in agreement,"I think Dr.Ridges has dealt with the Riddler before. She said that he was actually quite cooperative."

Raven laughed,"From what I saw yesterday he seemed to be a bit bull-headed. Trying to get away from the security and everything. And if he is so cooperative, then why does he break out?"

"Good question,"Ellen grinned,"Maybe you outta ask him."

"Uh oh,"Raven started shuffling the deck again,"There you go again, trying to brain wash me."

Ellen let out a small laugh,"Im serious. You should ask the Riddler why he broke out of here."

Raven sighed,"Alright,I'll put it on the list."

"What are you going to be looking for when you go to the session?"Ellen examined her blonde hair with a mirror she kept in her pocket.

"Hm, well. I was going to gather information about the Riddler,of course, and I was going to take a few mental notes on his characteristics and how his mind works."Raven replied. Ellen pocketed the mirror and turned her attention back to Raven,"In other words, your gonna see what kind of a man he is."

Raven grinned,"In a sense,I suppose."

Ellen watched Raven shuffle her deck of cards,"Are you nervous?"

"Who wouldn't be?"Raven began to deal out a game of Solitaire.

"No,no. No Solitaire. I'll play a few rounds of something with you." Ellen scooped up the cards that Raven had already put down.

Raven smiled,"Very well, state your game."

"You know Poker?"Ellen asked.

"Played it all through high school."Raven replied

Ellen smiled,"Alright then. Deal 'em out,Card Shark."

Raven grinned as she dealt out the first hand of Poker,'Funny,thats what they called me back then.' She thought.

The minutes passed and six rounds of Poker were played, Raven won four of them. Ellen wished Raven good luck and headed back to her office. It was now 9:10 in the morning. Raven still had about another hour. 'Well, that was fun.' she thought as she headed upstairs. Dr.Monroe was talking to another doctor when he spotted Raven.

"Morning Raven! Where are you headed?" he walked along side Raven.

"I was actually going to see if any of our inmates were awake."she replied.

"What for?"

"Just to chat. I have a bit of time before the session starts." Raven turned down another hallway lined with cells.

"Well, I'll leave you alone then." Dr.Monroe stated.

"Are you sure?" Raven turned to him.

"Yeah, I have a bit of work to do anyway. Good luck today. Bye."

"Thanks." Raven continued walking, searching the cell numbers as she went. She reached cell number 56 and knocked on its thick steel door.

"Who is it?" a rather high pitched voice said from the shadows.

"Its Raven." Raven replied.

"Raven! Long time no talk to! How've you been?"

"Good,Harley. Hows everything on the other side?"

Harley Quinn stepped into the lighted area of her cell,"Eh, same as always, dull and boring. Have you talked to my puddin' lately?"

"Joker? No. Things have been a bit weird lately."

Harley tilted her head in interest,"How so?"

"Well, The Riddler is back now and I get to go to one of his counciling sessions today." Raven leaned against the wall.

"Oh, sounds interestin'. Are you nervous?" Harley peered out the bars of her cell at Raven.

Raven laughed,"Yes, extremely nervous."

Harley giggled,"Dont be nervous around ole' Eddie. He's annoying but not vicious."

Raven shook her head and grinned,"You know the Riddler?"

Harley shrugged,"Only what I hear on the news and whatever talk about him buzzes around here. I see him when we get some free time every now and then."

"But you dont talk to him."

"Nah, he's too much of a creep."

They both laughed. Raven looked at her watch. It was 9:28.

"Well Harley, I hate to say this but I gotta go."

Harley looked a bit dissapointed,"Aw, why you gotta go?"

"I have about another half hour until I have to go to one of the counciling rooms. There might be some things that Dr.Ridges needs to talk with me about before my big moment." Raven replied with an apologetic face.

"Oh,"Harley smiled,"Okay then. Just come back and see me whenever you get the chance,okay?"

"Will do,Harley. Bye."

"Bye! Dont let Eddie annoy you too much!"Harley waved as Raven strode down the hallway.

She headed toward Dr.Ridges office and knocked on the door,"Come in." Victoria's voice said from inside. Raven stepped in,"Good morning Dr.Ridges."

"Good morning, Raven. How are you feeling about today?"

Raven sat down in one of the leather chairs,"A few things. Nervousness,excitement, and hunger."

"Hunger?"

Raven looked at Dr.Ridges with a guilty smile,"I didnt have breakfast this morning."

"Oh,"Dr.Ridges laughed and shook her head,"Thats not going to help your nerves at all."

Raven nodded,"I know, I know. But I was so excited to come in today that I just skipped it all together."

"Here," Dr.Ridges rummaged through her desk drawer and tossed a bag of chips to Raven,"Its not much but, at least its something."

"Thanks,"Raven ripped open the bag and took out a few chips,"So, where exactly do I go at ten?"

Dr. Ridges pulled out a small note pad and pencil,"You will go to this room number in the second hallway," she scribbled down the number and handed the sheet to Raven,"Wait there until they bring in the Riddler, Dr.Holmes should be in there. He knows all about this so, no need to explain anything."

Raven nodded and continued to munch on the chips. The number on the sheet was room 201.

"Should I take notes on anything?" Raven inquired.

"Not unless you want to but, just in case,"Dr.Ridges handed Raven the note pad and pencil she had used to write the number on,"Take these. If you hear anything interesting just jot it down."

Raven popped a few more chips into her mouth and nodded in thanks. She looked at her watch again, 9:43.

"Would you like me to go down there with you?"Dr.Ridges asked.

Raven thought for a minute,"If its alright,Dr.Ridges, I'd like to go by myself. No offense."

"None taken," Dr.Ridges turned to the computer on her desk,"I have an email from Dr.Holmes. He says he's ready for you."

Raven was a bit surprised,"It's a bit early still isn't it?"

Dr.Ridges shrugged,"Apparently not."

"Well, okay then. I guess I will see you later Victoria." Raven got up and gathered all of her items together.

"Good luck. I'll see you later."

Raven nodded and walked out the door. She looked at the number again and headed down the second hallway. Room 201 was on the right. She poked her head inside and looked around before spotting Dr.Holmes at his desk,"Hello." she chirped.

"Ah, you must be Raven. How are you? Im Doctor David Holmes."

"Im okay I guess."Raven shook Dr.Holmes hand.

Dr.Holmes smiled reassuringly,"Dont be nervous. Everything should go as planned. Now, The Riddler will be here any moment now. Dont fret if he asks about you."

Raven nodded,"I won't. I sort of expected him to be a bit curious about my prescence here."

"Good,"Dr.Holmes paced around the room a bit,"While your waiting, I can let you look through some of his older records if you'd like to."

Raven nodded again and Dr.Holmes took a file off of his desk,"These are notes that some of the other councilers have taken."

Raven flipped through the file and found an information sheet about the Riddler. It had all the basic stuff she had seen on the files that she would deliver: eye color, hair color, age at the current time, weight, height, and some of the occupants criminal history. Apparently at the time this particular sheet was filled out, the Riddler had only commited theft, kidnapping, and..brain washing Gotham's civilians? 'Odd,' Raven thought as she continued to flip through the file. It contained various notes from councilers, a few newspaper clippings and, of course, the information sheet and, that was about it. She noticed that the crimes she had read on the information sheet had taken place about two months before she moved to Gotham, indicating that the Riddler had only been in the asylum for that period of time and then broke out for about another three months before he was returned yesterday. A knock sounded on the door and a doctor and two security guards stepped inside, the Riddler was being held by the two guards in almost the same fashion as they had brought him in yesterday morning.

"Good morning, Dr.Holmes." The doctor greeted.

"Good morning,Dr.Burton." David replied

"We have your patient. Good luck to your friend there. We heard all about her new 'apprenticeship'. Alright boys, lead him in. Goodbye, Dr.Holmes."

"Goodbye,"Dr.Holmes nodded to the two guards and they followed Dr.Burton out the door. Raven's heart pounded in her chest as she continued to flip through the file. She looked at the Riddler from the corner of her eyes and saw that he had flaming orange hair and a new change of clothes, the mandatory grey outfit that most of the other occupants wore. Dr.Holmes approached the Riddler,"Shall we begin, Mr.Nygma?"

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There is chapter 2. What will happen during the session? Only chapter 3 will tell. R&R please!


	3. The Session

Hmm...still no reviews. Oh well, Im putting chapter 3 up anyway. Note! I dont own anything except for Raven/Spade

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"I just have one question before we start, Doctor." The Riddler paced around the room, examining his surroundings.

"What's that?" Dr.Holmes replied.

The Riddler stopped his pacing and turned his gaze upon Raven,"Who is this lovely lady in our prescence this morning?" He began to approach Raven when Dr.Holmes stopped him in mid-step,"She is an apprentice counciler. She is nervous so, dont do anything stupid, Edward."

Nygma sighed,"Fine, I just wanted to get to know her better. I've never seen her before."

"Well,"Dr.Holmes pulled out a notebook and pen,"I suppose I could fill you in on a few details about her if, of course, its alright with you Raven."

Raven looked up from the files, the Riddler was looking her straight in the eyes,"Uh, yeah. I dont mind, go right ahead."

"Very well,"Dr.Holmes began,"This is Raven McKane. She just moved here about three months ago, thats why you have not seen her before. She is a deliverer and filer here at the asylum, or was until today. With a little luck, she just might become your personal counciler."

Edward seemed interested in the idea that Raven could be his counciler. He thought she was quite a sight. He especially admired her sparkling blue-gray eyes,'Beautiful, eyes like a storm cloud.' he thought.

"So, Raven is it? What brings you here today?"

Before Raven could answer, Dr.Holmes interupted,"She is here on observation. She will be overseeing our session."

Edward nodded and plopped down on the couch behind him,"Well then. Let's get started."

Dr.Holmes sat down at his desk and flipped open his notebook,"So, Edward. I believe the question on everyone's mind is: Why did you break out?"

The Riddler grinned,"The same reason everybody else is trying to break out. It's boring! And plus, the food tastes horrible. This place should really consider hiring a better cook."

'Wait until Ellen hears that one,'Raven thought with a small grin on her face. Dr.Holmes shook his head but continued his questioning,"What did you do in the three months that you were absent,Mr.Nygma?"

"What is this, a police interrogation? That is none of your bee's wax." Edward gave Dr.Holmes a very cross look.

David ignored it,"Edward, please. You dont have to tell me every little detail, just tell me something."

Nygma thought for a minute,"Lets just say i've been...planning."

Raven tilted her head in interest,"Planning what?"she blurted out before she could stop herself.

A sly smile crept across the Riddler's lips,"Nothing much. Just a few things to solve something that has been on my mind."

Raven had finally found her courage to speak,"What are you trying to solve, Riddler?"

"Please, call me Edward. I can't tell you at the moment, with nosy doctors snooping inside my mind," Edward glared at Dr.Holmes.

Raven nodded,"Maybe you could tell me later, that is, if you trust me enough by then."

Dr.Holmes continued,"Now Edward, I am interested to know something. What did you think of when you first saw Raven?"

Edward let out a small laugh,"Well,I'll start by saying that she is a rather charming lady. I would feel much better about staying here if she would come and visit me every day." His gaze was once again aimed at Raven, as if trying to pursuade her to confirm that last sentence.

Raven broke under the gaze of his dark eyes. She smiled a little,"Edward, if it would really make you feel better, and if it will make you stay here, I suppose I could work something out with the doctors."

Edward grinned, a bit triumphantly, and leaned back on the couch.

"Well, this seems good,"Dr.Holmes smiled,"It seems you have found a friend fairly quickly, Edward. And Miss Raven seems to be comfortable in your prescence now, excellent. I believe our session is done for today you two. I'll call the security to escort Mr.Nygma back to his cell."

"If its not too much, Dr.Holmes,"Raven piped in,"Do you think I could follow them and talk to Edward further?"

Dr.Holmes nodded,"Sure, thats no problem."

The session only lasted about 20 minutes.Security had come to pick up the Riddler and take him back to his cell. The group traveled through the halls in silence,Raven was thinking about what the Riddler was planning and why he was planning it. She wanted to know, and she was going to find out.

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Well there it is. Chapter 3 is up...for anybody who might be reading. R&R! please?


	4. A Newfound Insanity

Heres the fourth chapter! Enjoy!

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Raven watched as the two security guards locked Edward into his cell. When they saw that everything was secure they continued their daily duties, leaving Raven and Edward alone to talk. The hall was silent for awhile, aside from the crazed screaming of some inmate down the hall. It was broken when Raven finally decided to ask,"So, what exactly were you planning, Edward?"

The Riddler approached the small, barred window of his cell and peered out at Raven, who was pacing in front of the thick door and looking up every now and then to see if he was watching her,"Well, as you said before, I would only tell you if I trusted you."

Raven stopped her pacing and looked up into the cell, searching his eyes for some sign of that trust,"So, do you?"

"Trust you?,"Edwards lithe frame disappeared into the darkness of his cell,"There's not a whole lot of people I can trust,especially around here."

"Hm, that seems reasonable. If I were inmate I wouldn't trust too many around here either. I can understand your thinking."Raven leaned up against the cell door and looked up at the ceiling, as if in thought.

"See? There is what i'm looking for. Someone who understands me. Tell me, do you think I am insane?" Edwards voice said from the shadows.

Raven was a bit startled by this question but thought about it for a minute,"Honestly? Well, actually no. To tell you the truth I think the only reason they put you guys in here is because, well, its either this or death row in prison. I mean, come on. Which one would you choose?"

The Riddler snorted,"Tough choice," he said sarcastically,"I see your point though. Yeah, they probably would put us up for lethal injections or whatnot if we weren't put in here. If everybody had their way about it, they would have all of us dead. But where's the fun in that? Without us, there is no Batman."

"Ah, on the contrary,"Raven began,"There would be new villains and rogues milling about then."

Riddler pondered about that for a minute,"Hm, you know, your probably right. If we died, then that would make room for other villains. They would probably use us as role models for their crimes."

Raven continued her pacing,"Well, whoever said there needed to be room? What Im saying is, its not like the westerns. You know the whole 'this town ain't big enough for the two of us' type of thing. My opinion is this: The more villians you have, the harder it is for your hero to stop them all. Meaning, if all the villains worked together, then they would be able to stop their common enemy. Make sense?"

The Riddler laughed and approached the bars once again,"I like the way you think. Your a smart kid. In all honesty, I dont know why none of us have ever thought of that before. Its like a whole other riddle isn't it?"

Raven flashed an impish smile,"One that I can answer, I believe. You see, the reason none of you thought about it is because of your egos. You want to be the only one who feels that power of triumph, of victory."

Edward applauded,"Well done, well done. Your a smart cookie aren't you? Yes, yet another good point from Raven. We do have pretty big egos don't we, us villains? Perhaps it is our downfall, we outta work on that."

Raven nodded,"Agreed. So, now that we have gotten to know each other a little better, how is your trust level with me?"

"It is much higher. I think I am ready to tell you what my plans were."

Raven leaned up the against the thick, cold door again,"Alright, tell all."

"Well,"Edward began,"Before I found myself in Arkham, I was working on a riddle, a pretty big riddle at that. I was trying to find out who Batman was. Now, I remember figuring it out, but I dont remember the answer. I believe that at some point I went so insane, that I forgot. I just don't remember anything from the events three months ago. It's like I was brainwashed or something."

"So, what your saying is, you escaped to try and re-figure out what you figured out three months ago, correct?"

Edward nodded,"Thats correct."

"Im sorry to say that I can't help you,Edward."Raven looked at The Riddler through the bars of his cell with eyes full fo sympathy.

He nodded,"You can. You can help me. Im stuck in here but, your out there. You can get me out of here."

Raven backed away from the door,"No, Edward. I can't do that. If I did, I could get into a truckload of trouble."

"Please, Raven. I dont need to be in here. Im not insane, I'm just trying to find some answers." The Riddler pleaded.

Raven shook her head,"No."

Edward grasped the bars of his cell door and looked out at Raven,"Please. Look, get me out of here and I'll take you with me. We could get rich and live in luxury but, in order to do that we gotta work together. Raven, do you trust me?"

"Now, wait a minute,"Raven snapped,"I thought you were just looking for answers not commiting theft. And I can almost bet that its not just Batman's identity your looking for. I bet you want him dead as well."

The Riddler sighed,"Well, what villain doesn't want him dead? He's the one that has put all of us in this place! You can ask any inmate here and I bet you they will tell you that they want him dead too! Now, do you trust me or not,Raven? I need an answer. The sooner I can get out of here the better."

Raven looked up at the ceiling and sighed,"Riddler,I can't do it. I will not turn to crime because you tell me too. Just because we trust each other doesn't mean that I will join you."

"Raven, Raven,Raven. Do you really want to stay here? Do you really want to listen to the screaming of the other inmates day-in and day-out? Or do you want more than that? You know you do." The Riddler tried to pursuade her.

Raven clutched her head in confusion,"I do want more than this but, I can't---"

"See?,"Edward interupted,"Join me then. I can give you so much more. Diamonds, cash, luxury. I can give you all of the above. Just get me out of here."

Raven felt like her head was spinning. 'I just met this guy and he is already brainwashing me,'she thought as she considered her choices.It was either stay here and deal with insane criminals and get a mediocre paycheck every week or go with the Riddler and live in luxury, or so he says. Raven balanced her choices against each other. Was the good side better or was turning to crime the answer? Raven could feel some of that sanity slipping away from her.'How could he have gotten into my head so easily?,' she thought as she paced around the room.

"Come on, Raven. The clock is ticking. Tick tock tick tock. Need an answer." The Riddler pushed Raven's mind further into that void of insanity. She grunted in frustration, fighting to keep that sanity but, she was fighting a losing battle.

'Ah, Im so weak minded! I can't let him get to me but, his offer does sound pretty good. No! I won't. I can't! I can't!' Raven fought with herself, all of the thoughts whirling in her head like a wild twister. She sat against the wall and slid down onto the floor with her head resting on her knees,'Why am I letting him get to me like this? Sure, he's charming but, why am I breaking so easily? I know why. It's my greed and right now, that greed feels kinda good. Heck, why not? If we are successful partners, we could strike it rich! Alright, that settles it. We're busting outta here!' Raven lifted her head with a devilish grin on her face.

As her last bits of sanity and reasoning snapped and shattered, Raven came to a final decision,"Alright, this is taking a giant leap but, I'll do it. I'll get you out of here on one condition, as you said, you have to take me with you. Dont leave me behind. If you do, Im calling the authorities and reporting you in. Deal?"

The Riddler grinned and nodded,"Deal. Do you know what to do?"

Raven nodded,"I know exactly what to do." And with that, Raven turned and started on her mission to free the Riddler from Arkham, with a wicked grin on her lips and a newfound insanity in her grey-blue eyes.

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Well, there you have it.Raven has finally lost her mind, albeit a bit easily but, hey. Im a bit brain-dead. Will Raven's sanity come back to her or will she really free the Riddler from Arkham? Only chapter 5 will tell.


	5. The Brink

Whoah! I am sooooo sorry for the loooong wait! Goodness...yell at me next time I do that. Finally, Chapter 5 is here!

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'What was I thinking? Did I really except his offer? Am I stupid? Or just crazy?',Raven staggered down the stairs with a million thoughts buzzing in her head like angry bees and the smallest speck of sanity was still in her head. She felt like those cartoons where a guy has a devil on one shoulder telling him one thing and the little angel on the other trying to fight off that devil. In her case, the sane part of her mind was the angel and The Riddler was the devil on the other shoulder. She kept hearing his voice repeating,"Join me. Join me." Raven tried to shake it off and just ignore it but it was like a parasite, no matter how hard she tried to scratch that little tick off, it was still stuck in there. Raven decided that the best thing to do at that moment was to just sit down and think about things. She headed to her office and pulled out her favorite deck of cards and began to shuffle them. As she watched the cards fold on top of each other, she began to think about all of her possibilities. She weighed them all against each other. What would happen if she went with the Riddler? What would happen if she continued her daily life? Which one would she regret more?

"What does one do in a situation like this?" She asked herself,"Do you go with your instinct? Or do you go by basic knowledge? Well, obviously if I went with the Riddler, there is a chance the both of us would get caught. Sure, he's a little more aquainted to the villainous life than I am but, not by much. He's probably been at it for what? Hmm. Maybe I should have asked him that. He escaped three months ago and from what I've heard he had just turned into the Riddler no more than about a few weeks, give or take, before that. Its something else to ponder about. Oh well, I have other to stuff to think about at the moment. Lets see now, lets think logically. If I kept doing what I always do, thats obviously more safe. I dont risk going to jail or, even being thrown in here myself. Well, that would be the easier way to go but, what if he escaped again? And he came after me? That wouldn't be good. I don't really know how dangerous this guy is. Well, a few of the other inmates have given me som----" She was cut off by the sound of her office door opening. Raven looked up from her cards and saw Ellen standing in front of her desk.

"I heard you mumbling in here. I just stepped in to see if you were okay. So, how did your session go?" Ellen asked.

"Thats what im mumbling about." Raven replied, her eyes had dropped back down to the deck of cards.

"Well, anything you wanna tell me?"

"No, not really. There is something I wanna ask you though."

Ellen nodded,"Okay, shoot."

Raven looked Ellen straight in the eyes,"Have you ever had to choose between doing the right thing and wrong thing but, the wrong thing seems like the right thing?"

Ellen pondered the question for a minute,"You know, Im really not sure, Raven. Nothing really comes to mind. Why do you ask that?"

Raven waved her hand, as if dismissing the question,"No reason really, just curious."

"You sure about that? Does the Riddler have anything to do with that question?" Ellen watched Raven shuffle the cards. She knew her colleague was nervous about something. Raven looked up with a slightly startled expression on her face but gained her composure quickly,"What does the Riddler have to do with anything?"

Ellen sat down in the chair opposite of Raven,"I have been working here for a few years and I know that some of these inmates have ways of getting in to some of the workers heads. I don't think the Riddler is any different. You have been working with him so, I figured he might be up to something that involved you."

Raven snorted,"If he was trying to get me to do something I would have told you." Ellen nodded in agreement,"Yeah, you seem like the kind that would tattletale on the inmates." Raven grinned and started flipping through the deck, pondering on what she should do. Ellen got up and walked to the office door,"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Raven. See ya."

"Bye,"Raven put the deck of cards back in their pack and shoved it back into her desk drawer. She laid her head down on the top of her desk and let out a low growl. She was becoming frustrated with all the thoughts in her head, and just wanted to shoot them all. They were eating away at her mind, causing her to go insane at a slow, agonizing pace. The more she thought about it, the better the Riddler's offer sounded. She got up from her desk and started pacing the room.

"What do I do?! Do I go with the Riddler or do I stay here. Go. Stay here. Go. Stay here. Augh!" Raven clutched her head in frustration. The last bits of her fragile mind were disappearing as the stress of the situation continued to build. She plopped down on the floor and stared at her ceiling,"Why me?" She laughed,"Why did it have to be me? Hahaha!" All of sudden, Raven burst out into a maniacal laughter. The Riddler had succeeded. Her mind had finally given in to the insane virus the Riddler had planted in her head. Raven got up from the floor and started digging through her desk drawers. She found the pistol she was looking for and shoved it into her pockets.

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Oooo, Cliffhanger. What will happen next? Only I know. Sorry if it's kinda short.


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